Labour plans crackdown on 16-year-olds getting Saturday jobs

Under the current rules, employers can hire those under school-leaving age and send a permit to the council within a week of their first shift.

However, the new permit application will require employers to disclose the proposed work schedule and provide evidence that an “appropriate” risk assessment has been carried out.

The employer must also obtain a statement from the teenager’s parents, confirming their “fitness to work”.

It is not yet known how long the council may take to respond to permit applications.

Employers who fail to obtain a permit for 16-year-olds would be committing a criminal offence.

Labour published its plan earlier this month in a Government consultation for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Julia Lopez, Shadow Business Secretary, criticised the move and argued that the Government is “making it harder” for small businesses to “take on the next generation” of workers.

She told The Telegraph: “I want to see more young people getting their first job, but Labour are making it harder for small businesses to take on the next generation of workers.

“That first role in a café, shop or on a paper round can do so much to give young people resilience, skills, better timekeeping and confidence – the qualities employers seek – not to mention the satisfaction of earning their own money for the first time.

“Teenagers looking for a Saturday job should not need to navigate a mountain of council paperwork before they can earn.”

The move comes amid plans to expand a taxpayer-funded scheme to help young people who have been claiming benefits for a year get into work.

Eligible 18 to 24-year-olds will be “guaranteed” a fully funded, six-month job matched to their skills after 12 months on Universal Credit.

The scheme will help more than 90,000 young people into work by March 2029.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the expansion showed that Labour was “treating the symptoms of its youth unemployment crisis rather than tackling the causes”.

“Young people deserve real support to get themselves onto the career ladder, not another government-funded waiting room,” she said.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said in a statement: “This is a consultation and we are seeking views from everyone, but child employment permits are not new.

“Our proposals simply require this to happen before employment begins to ensure children are safe and the work is suitable from day one.

“It should be without question that children’s safety, ensuring they are not in danger, exploited, or neglecting their education, must come first.

“The consultation also proposes a consistent national approach to child employment rules, replacing the current patchwork of local arrangements and providing greater clarity for employers, while maintaining important safeguards for young people.”